I remember being a freshman in high school, sitting in my room and indulging in a guilty pleasure: watching walkthroughs of different video games on YouTube. I have always been interested in video games, but I was usually in it more for the story than the gameplay; I also never owned an Xbox or Playstation console of any kind.
One of the games that I became fascinated with in its early years was “The Last of Us,” set in a post-apocalyptic world featuring a cross-country journey with the two main characters: Joel and Ellie. Although I never played the game myself, I knew every detail; from how to kill each type of infected person to the route out of the hospital at the end of the game. I never felt left out that I couldn’t play the game myself—frankly, I was horrible at console video games, and it scared me too much to play.
I forgot about the game for a couple of years before “The Last of Us Part II” came out, bringing me back into that video game-watching phase I had when I was younger. The storyline of both “The Last of Us” games captured my attention, which is what happened to thousands of people across the world.
Now, a new stage of “The Last of Us” games has emerged: a TV show created by HBO Max. I was incredibly excited about the show since they were focusing mostly on the storyline rather than the gameplay, which was all I cared about in the first place. The executive producers of the show are Neil Druckmann, the creator of “The Last of Us” games, and Craig Mazin, the creator of the award-winning show “Chernobyl.” Starting Jan. 15, an episode was released once a week on Sundays, and it’s been my favorite part about my Sunday nights. They are still currently releasing episodes for Season One.
“The Last of Us” TV show has been receiving stellar reviews, from both critics and fans of the games. It’s understood that to make the game adaptable for TV, small changes have to be made in order for it to have coherent episodes and a storyline within each one. The TV show follows the game enough for those who have played it to be satisfied, while also adding in things to make any normal viewer get a sense of the world and its characters.
Most episode content is developed from the cutscenes of the games, although there are some cool fighting scenes between the infected and other “bad” people. The game has always been more about humanity than defeating the infected; the show excels in showing these themes.
The actors are the ones who truly sell the show. Pedro Pascal plays the character of Joel so well that I can’t imagine anyone else in his place. Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, really brought a new child-like presence to the character and made it an entertaining watch. As every apocalyptic show goes, there are plenty of characters that come and go (a.k.a. die), and each guest star has been phenomenal. Episode three had me crying through the whole thing, and episode five was horrifically accurate to a cutscene in the game, all thanks to the acting. There are very few bad things I can say about the show, which is why I would recommend it to “almost” anyone.
Before I recommend it to “almost” anyone, however, there are a few caveats that may prevent a viewer from enjoying the show. First, if you are a diehard fan of the game and want everything to perfectly match “The Last of Us” games, then this isn’t the show for you. It follows the storyline well, but things are bound to be different for the greater good of the production. It’s one of the closest adaptations I’ve seen in a while, though, especially since it is coming from video game source material.
Secondly, this show does have a lot of gore, blood, and gross images. It is a post-apocalyptic show with violent infected (and also violent normal people), so it’s not for the faint of heart. Lastly, and most importantly, this TV show usually does NOT make you feel good. It showcases some of the worst of humanity: instead of working together during a disaster, everyone is turned against each other and it makes you sick to your stomach. When something good does happen, there’s always another stab in the heart that you don’t expect. There are glimmers of hope where “The Last of Us” shows us what could be good, but there’s always an end.
If you have HBO Max, I highly recommend that everyone watch the show. The first hour of the show is harrowing, but it draws you in and makes you wonder what’s going to happen next with Joel and the characters that he meets along the way. It’s well-written, well-acted, and well-produced; I can see the show sweeping Emmy nominations next time the award show rolls around. Even if you’re apprehensive, at least give it a try: “The Last of Us” is worth it.